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66 – Insect Bites and Stings While Outdoors!
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BEES, hornets and wasps are among the common insect stingers and their stings can cause pain, swelling and redness for up to 2 days. Here are some ways to relieve the discomfort:
To avoid stings, walk calmly away from insects and avoid wearing perfume or bright yellow clothes when outdoors!
Drag the stinger and sting sac out of the wound with a needle. As a last resort, a credit card can be used. Do NOT use tweezers because they could cause more venom to be squeezed in.
Wash the wound with soap and water and apply cold compresses to reduce the swelling.
Take an aspirin or Tylenol if you feel continuing discomfort!
If you experience dizziness or difficulty breathing, get emergency medical help immediately!
Use extra caution around reflective surfaces.
No matter what outside activity you plan to do, chances are you won’t go far without meeting some form of insect. In most cases, insect bites or stings are annoying but not particularly dangerous. However, in some instances, an allergic reaction can become serious and even life threatening, if you fear you are developing an allergic reaction, get emergency medical help!
Insect bites and stings can cause a range of symptoms, from minor irritation to serious allergic reactions;
BITES are usually caused by non-venomous insects like mosquitoes, fleas, and bedbugs, bites are typically itchy and cause minor swelling.
STINGS on the other hand are usually caused by venomous insects like bees, wasps, and hornets, stings are typically more painful than bites.
Allergic reactions;
Some people can have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to an insect bite or sting, which requires immediate medical treatment!
Spider bites;
Bites from venomous spiders can cause intense pain, stiffness, joint pain, muscle spasms, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, difficulty breathing or swallowing, and may require immediate medical treatment!